Cactus Cantina

I used to think Cactus Cantina (3300 Wisconsin) was overrated, but I may have to rethink based on a recent visit. I still won’t say it is great, and overall I prefer Uncle Julio’s in Bethesda for Tex-Mex (and maybe also the recently-reviewed Samantha’s to the extent that qualifies as Tex-Mex), but CC seems better than it used to be. Changes in the kitchen? I hadn’t eaten there for years, so who knows.

Enchiladas are actually quite good, better than Julio’s, with a good ratio of filling-cheese-tortilla-sauce, and the cheese and shredded beef have decent flavor. Rice/beans are okay. Crisp, salty tortilla chips deserve better than the thin, bland salsa they (and we) get. Really, most everything is fine at Cactus Cantina: tacos, fajitas, margaritas. All fine. Service was fine too, if a bit slow (you’d think they would want you to be able to pay at the end, but the bill took a while to materialize).

CC is inconvenient for us, especially compared to Uncle Julio’s which is near Mrs. Me’s workplace, but I certainly wouldn’t complain if I found myself back there. Although District 2 Bar & Grille is right across the street, and though we only had a drink there, not food, that’s probably where I would vote to eat if I found myself hungry in that neck of the woods. District 2 looked good, had a nice vibe, friendly staff, deserves a visit someday.